Author Topic: The Opportunity has Landed! (Read 1855 times)

AKS\/\/ulfe · « **Reply #30 on:** January 26, 2004, 10:26:24 AM »

Quote

Originally posted by SunTracker
Mars cannot support an atmoshphere due to its lack of a magnetic field.

This is the second or third time in a week or two I've seen this stated - and it completely baffles me how someone invented this idea.

Mars already has an atmosphere, but since the planet itself is a little over half the size of Earth and about 1/10th the mass of Earth - it won't be able to retain an atmosphere nearly as thick as Earth's. So if it were altered to have a breathable atmosphere, it'd probably be a lot like being on top of Mt. Everest.
-SW

FUNKED1 · « **Reply #31 on:** January 26, 2004, 11:08:14 AM »

Ppl be watchin too much Sci-Fi channel.

Dowding · « **Reply #32 on:** January 26, 2004, 12:19:36 PM »

It's nothing to do with size, AKSwulfe. It's to do with the fact that Mars does not have the fluid core like the Earth as. Consequently it does not have a global magnetic field producing an ionsphere which would protect the planet from the solar winds. Without that, any atmosphere would constantly degrade. There is however some localised field which is locked into parts of the surface.

Duedel · « **Reply #33 on:** January 26, 2004, 12:45:36 PM »

Quote

Originally posted by Bodhi
Duedel and the rest of the euro trash will be along shortly to make just that accusation!

Bodhi, Bodhi, Bodhi sometimes u could be so mean: "Euro trash".
Thats really evil.
Everybody knows that the USA is on Mars to find WMD and to free the little red stones from the evil big Saddamstone.

BTW WTG Nasa!!! Great that both roboters landed succesfully. No go and find Beagle

AKS\/\/ulfe · « **Reply #34 on:** January 26, 2004, 01:34:48 PM »

The mass has to do with it retaining an atmosphere, and an active core would have to do with it producing more atmosphere through volcanic eruptions.

The magnetic core primarily creates the magnetosphere which in turn creates the Van Allen Radiation belts, shielding us from harmful radiation, and it also redirects charged particles to the N and S poles (Auroras). I haven't seen any correlation between a magnetic core and retaining an atmosphere in my readings.
-SW

Dowding · « **Reply #35 on:** January 26, 2004, 02:02:50 PM »

Without a liquid core, you can't have a magnetic field. Without the magnetic field, the ionosphere is battered by the solar winds and you have no atmosphere. This explains it.

http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2001/ast31jan_1.htm

The relationship between fluid core and magnetism on mars is talked about here.

http://www.berkeley.edu/news/media/releases/2000/12/15_mars.html

AKS\/\/ulfe · « **Reply #36 on:** January 26, 2004, 02:06:32 PM »

I already know that the liquid iron core causes the magnetic field, I just didn't know it was needed to retain an atmosphere because I hadn't seen that mentioned anywhere before.

Thanks for the link(s) Dowding.
-SW

Dowding · « **Reply #37 on:** January 26, 2004, 02:10:15 PM »

No problem. I like the mrblack avatard.

Vulcan · « **Reply #38 on:** January 26, 2004, 02:15:02 PM »

Are we taking bets on how long it takes lil Marvin Martian to disconnect the solar panel?

Rude · « **Reply #39 on:** January 26, 2004, 02:29:58 PM »

Quote

Originally posted by lord dolf vader
all of us merrily holding hands and batting eyelashes at each other. what a nice delusion floyd could write a song about it its so twisted...

Darn tootin!!!

That money should have been given to unemployed folks to sit on their arses until the cab paid for by the DNC comes by to take them to the polling booth.

Outrageous!!!

AKS\/\/ulfe · « **Reply #40 on:** January 26, 2004, 07:44:26 PM »

Thanks Dowding. Would you like to see the cat's DD-214?

-SW

Dowding · « **Reply #41 on:** January 27, 2004, 05:57:13 AM »

No, we have photographic evidence of the cat at work. We don't need supporting documentation.

Duedel · « **Reply #42 on:** January 27, 2004, 06:09:45 AM »

What the hell is a DD-214?

Ping · « **Reply #43 on:** January 27, 2004, 06:23:36 AM »

I gather that a DD214 is a military record of an individual.
In the case of MrBlack a DD=Doctored Document.

SunTracker · « **Reply #44 on:** January 27, 2004, 07:19:12 AM »

There was a show on The Learning Channel about Mar's lack of a magnetic field. The hypothesis is that Mar's core cooled too much, which turned it from liquid to solid. This in turn caused the protective magnetic fields to cease, and solar wind and radiation somehow destroyed the atmosphere. Mars still has an atmosphere, about 1% as dense as Earth's.

But its not Mars we need to worry about. Another hypothesis states the Earth's core is cooling. Something like 20 degrees celcius since the 1500s.